A/N: 'Dick Figures: THE MOVIE' is coming out on September 17th! Yeahhhhhhhh! I paid for it a long time ago and I'm itching for it to come out. This time, there won't be any author's jokes in this chapter. Also, you are anxious to read the next chapter, so I won't keep you waiting:
Shen's General: Why thank you for the compliment. We are getting to a point that veryone wants to read, so enjoy!
Animation Universe 2005: I sended a PM on a song I would use, and thank you for the compliment!
Fallen Angel/Goddess of Imaginary: I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. I believe you will also enjoy this one too.
Tigress4Ever & TigressFan: Thank you for your support and reviews, and I know for a FACT you will enjoy this.
Guest: Glad to see you enjoyed it, and this is worth the wait. There is no need to feel depressed, because whenever I feel depressed, I always think that someone out there is having similar problems like me, and that I'm not the only one. With music, I play songs that I know to cheer me up. That sounds awesome! Be sure to take your time. I like the idea of how your story works, and I can't wait to read it when it one day comes out. A BBQ hot dog is just like a normal hot dog except you cook it over tin foil and put it at a reasonable temperature to eventually make it 'sweat' out the fat and maintain the nice cooked meat inside. To cool it down, you need to cut it in pieces, but they all have to still stick together by a small chunk of meat per cut, like a backbone. That's it! I agree, that can be a good crossover. Why thank you so much for your comment on my profile, I constantly edit it with new stories and what not. You watched every movie? Amazing, you would of found a lot of time to see them all. Here are some tips: Always have an author notes, it gives you a way to connect to our reader as a whole per update, which I do. Always give your work a second read for errors or better versions of a passage that could twist an audience. Leave your authors notes in bold and your writing in normal. Be clear as to who is saying and doing what. Describe a situation or an area to the best of your availability. Be open to the reviewers criticism, this is crucial to connecting with your readers and creating good chapters, such as what certain characters should do, what OC they want in it, song and battle recommendations, etc. Last but not least: Be as creative as possible, go beyond the boarders and analyze the characters, do something that they are most capable of doing and understand your writing so that it can have color, instead of the writing in black and white, it has to be eye catching and something that could grab someone's attention. That's all I got. Original MTR: Don't you dare & #$%^* eat it! It's my baby, and in this house, we eat all our babies.
Archangel: Yeah, it was weird, so it kind of threw me off my game. DAMN IT! For some reason, I had a feeling I messed up there, but a lot of people didn't mind and thought it was funny. XD nice joke! Maybe I should of thought out on Lai's powers more… Well, I wanted Lai to bring Tigress down for her failure to get with Cole, so it was as best as I could go. That sounds very interesting on the Mulan part, but if I did have that idea, I would be pretty vague and the writing would be horrible. I totally agree, but she was being insulted, and it was in her head, not in real life, she handled the actual situation maturely. I agree, that's why as a spirit, it's more fluid. Your right on the concept, one day I'll switch it around. Hmmm… another OC? Awesome, let's hear it! In order to get this far, I had to play both games. The first infamous was free due to the PSN hack, and the second was bought. Very interesting, but like I said, Kessler didn't come back to life because if he did, he would cause a rupture in dimensions, making stars and planets collide together in one giant black hole of dead stars and rubbles of planets, so he had enough power to resist coming back to life. Spoiler: I will include a moment somewhere in the future in that orphanage.
Besides, I have putted together a team so powerful, no one saw it coming! Btw, you're not an asshole, you're a critic in my story who knows exactly what to say, and you and I both know critics never sugarcoat the truth.
M4dG4rl: I know, it was all in her head, and the song was from one of my games. If you watch closely to the title of the chapter, all the songs are listed in order and how they are set. I edited the part after that, so be sure to read it carefully.
T-Rex's fan: Why thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
shugokage: Hey! Your back! Awesome! Thank you for the review and I hope to see more of your reviews in the future. Enjoy this one!
A.T. Moore: I know, I put a lot of time into writing, so it's long. Hope you enjoy this one.
Rook115: You very lucky you found this around my updating date. Hope to see more of your reviews in the future.
hunterX95: Well, I really don't look up chinese culture. When I was young, I lready had a basic heme on how chin looks, and it look the same in KFP, so it's easy to do it. Plus, I let my readers imagine their surroundings too.
Why are you reading this? Read what's below!
Chapter 25: Laying Demons To Rest, Part 4
Song: She's a Lady By: Tom Jones
Link: watch?v=oIfxBthfFkg
Song: Shepard's Tango By: Sam Hulick
Link: watch?v=EVaofAOR8PU
Song: Everything Has Changed By: Taylor Swift (feat. Ed Sheeran)
Link: watch?v=w1oM3kQpXRo
Song: Burn The Night Away By: There For Tomorrow
Link: watch?v=3OwJjXGiS3s
Song: I Am Electric By: Heaven's Basement
Link: watch?v=XXU3Qt_qvaY
…
Cole began to realize that he should have planned ahead before asking someone out.
And why did he realize this?
Because a man must dress appropriately on certain occasion's, including dates.
But Cole was forced to keep his normal attire of clothing; his baseball white tee with dark blue sleeves, his navy jeans with the Union Jack symbol on his right leg, good urban exploration shoes, and a backpack with his Amp.
Cole would admit that he is grumpy from time to time when certain things either piss him off or don't go his way (he tries to refrain from using lightning then); especially knowing of no way how to get new clothes, but what he is wearing would have to do.
Cole was leaning against the restaurant outside, waiting for Tigress to show up. With his arms crossed, he was deep in thought, for it was a long time since he ever went on a date.
"Um sir?" A woman said near the front counter of the restaurant
Cole looked to the woman and noticed her.
She in turn noticed Cole and said, "Cole?"
Cole's eye's widened and said with sudden surprise, "Oh, hey An. You work here?"
An, the black leopard that he met earlier, who was also John's girlfriend, said, "Yeah. For a few year's actually. It's nice here, and it's pretty much the easiest job I could do."
"You sound a little lazy when you say it like that." Cole chuckled
"Well, all the other jobs mostly involve brute force, which I'm not that really good at, so this fits me very well." She said back
Cole then asked, "How's John doing?"
An slightly blushed, making Cole notice, and said, "Yeah, he's doing great. Even though I'm the one taking care of him, he does a lot of things for me; he even treats me with a lot of respect. I like that very much about him."
"But enough about me, why are you here? Do you have a reservation?" An asked
"Uh-Yeah, yeah I do, but I didn't put one for my date in case she said no." Cole sounded a little uneasy, "but she said yes."
"So you want me to put a reservation for her before she kills you?" An guessed with a teasing smile
"You just read my mind, didn't you?" Cole chuckled
"It was a lucky guess." An admitted, "I left a blank spot for your date to come with you, but when is she gonna be here?"
Cole admitted while looking around, "Well, I don't know when she will be here, but I hope that it's anytime soon."
An then asked, "What caught your eye to go into this restaurant?"
Cole looked to her and said, "I never eaten tofu before. All I ever ate was noodles, dumplings, pizza, pasta, and other things."
An learned and said, "You think the food you eat is the same and it's bland… that's a pretty good reason." She then asked, "What's pizza?"
After Cole gave a quick description, she thought that it sounded like a good dish.
(Start first song)
Cole looked around once more, but that was when he saw her…
…and it made his eyes widen in complete surprise…
(super slow-motion walk)
…Tigress walked like one of those runway models, (earning a lot of looks from a lot of males around the street) but she didn't have a dress. Oh no, the first thing Cole was amazed to see was that she is wearing vintage leather Converse All-Stars in black (created to model like those in 2004, which are very rare converse, but fitted differently to go with her feet). (What can he say, he was 'sort-of' a fan of shoes). She wore skinny black jeans that showed her curved legs and hips, the jeans themselves were ripped on her left knee and right thigh, and the ends of her jeans didn't go over the back of her converse shoes. She had a cotton belt go around the waist-band of her jeans with the front having a steel belt hook, which were held below the hips, exposing a bit of belly fur and near-hourglass figure, along with her pierced outie (I wonder why it was pierced…). She still wore the vest on her, giving her a flat chest, but it was invisible underneath her bright white shirt (it was circular collar, no V-neck) and the sleeves covering her arms that are connected to her shirt were flawless jacket leather, giving off a nice appeal to how her attitude is. Her looks were no different as how he always saw her, but it had little make up to only enhance small parts of her features, making her look more beautiful (but no lipstick, Tigress hated the glossy texture on her lips, due to its irritation on her muzzle). She also wore a dark grey beanie on her head to keep her ears warm in the alps they are in and to have a more teasing appeal to her clothes.
In short, she looked like a hard-core punk-rock rebel.
(If you know the inFAMOUS franchise, and remember someone wearing a similar outfit in the game, you get an internet brownie. Everyone wants an internet cookie these days.)
And this not only made Cole have a sudden interest in more than just her looks, but he felt that same feeling from before back at the beach.
Whoa… Was all Cole could think as his mind was frozen by the sight before him.
Cole also noticed a decent amount of males giving interesting and 'hungry' stares, but she ignored them, as if she was trying to be hard to get, and looked to only Cole. She then puckered her muzzle together to imitate a teasing smooch.
For some reason, Cole felt heat on his cheeks.
(End song goes as it fades)
An also looked on the same way Cole is, but only in admiring how she looked.
As Tigress got closer, she smiled and said in an upbeat yet gentle tone, "Hi Cole."
As she stood before him, Cole only continued to stare at her.
He then got out of his trance and said, "Wow. You look…" Cole then forgot what to say
"Beautiful?" Tigress guessed
"Different," Cole said afterword, "I was going to say different, but that works too."
Tigress laughed a little and lightly but powerfully punches Cole on the arm.
"Ow. That hurt. You should apologize." Cole said sarcastically, not feeling any pain but rubbing the spot where he was hit to make her guiltier.
Tigress laughed, remembering that this situation happened back home and she said in a girly and childish tone, "I'm sorry."
Cole smiled, finding how she acted a little bit attractive, and held an arm out for Tigress to hold on to.
Tigress remembered this. Zeke taught her that the male of the date will hold an arm out for the female to hook her arm together with him. It's to sign that the couple are on a date when together.
To her, it's just a fancy way of saying, 'We are on a date.'
Accepting Cole's gesture, Tigress hooked her arm around him and stood before An.
An looked to them in understanding and said to Cole, "So you're dating the leader of the Furious Five? That's surprising." Once she filled out her name in the reservation, but then noticed something and said, "Oh, sorry. Someone has the table right now. You were set to come by for a little while back. If you want to pass the time, there is a small ball going on, down the street." An said, trying to ease the situation on them.
Cole smiled and said, "That sounds good. Think you can handle a little mingling?" Cole teased Tigress as he asked the question.
She smiled back, trying her best to hide something from Cole, and said, "I can defeat an army if I wanted to, let alone 'mingle,' let's go."
…
In the ball, it was a chinese-themed room with hanging lanterns and an open area to dancing, where a band was in a corner playing.
Even though they got glances, Tigress looked over the bar, lost in thought as Cole left to get refreshments. She was extremely happy that Cole asked her out, and was suddenly over reacting on how she could earn a kiss. But what she was actually afraid of was if anyone was tailing her, including her friends, enemies, and Lai herself.
Tigress prayed to the gods that Lai doesn't show her face before she carves it out, imagining her beautiful face as a simple fleshy mask to hide her identity.
She suddenly realized that she was always thinking about 'skinning' people alive, and that not only shocked her, but wondered if she was going crazy.
Cole began to come back with two cups of water, and as he walked, a lot of females began to get attracted my Cole's weird cloths and great looks.
As Cole sat down next to Tigress, she began to notice and gave her thanks as she took the cup.
Starting a conversation, she began to act like she just met him and said, "So, a conduit on a date. That's rare. Do you come here from time to time?"
Tigress then looked to the females around her and gave them a 'You're too late' glare.
Seeing that she got to him first, they all realized that it was too late and gave up. They walked away, danced with others, or went to go chat.
Cole raised a brow and said, "Why are you talking like that?"
Tigress tilted her head to the right, telling him to 'Just go with it.'
Cole got the memo and said in his charming and flattering voice, "Yeah. Oh, I come here often. Good place to blow off steam. Scenery's not bad either." He 'intentionally' said that as he looked to the female dancers and chatters.
Cole smiled, knowing that she would have a jealous face, but was relaxed when he said again flattery, "Though the view in front of me… is even better."
Tigress squinted her eyes and said with a boring tone. "*Humph* That supposed to melt a girl's heart?"
"No," Cole admitted, "but this voice is…"
Tigress knew his voice was melting her heart like snow, which made her have a great interest in him.
She guessed he was one of those flattering types, or just had good practice.
Cole leaned forward and allowed his arm to rest on the wooden countertop of the bar and said, "I'm Cole MacGrath, though some people call me, 'The Demon of Empire City,' or just 'Demon' for short. I'm an all-around conduit bad boy and badass with using nothing but lightning."
Tigress gave him a stare and a few blinks that told him, 'Interesting, go on…'
"Also, I punch bandits on the side. And you are?" Cole answered and asked
Tigress smiled and said, "Master Tigress, leader of the Furious Five."
Cole then gave a *hmmm* and said, "Tigress, huh? I may have heard a few things about you."
Cole then felt her leg rub against his own and Tigress said, "Oh? Flatter me."
Cole smiled and said romantically, "Word is that that you know your way around an enemy, can kick anybody's ass, and lots of people think you're sexy. I also heard that you punch bandits on the side too. You know, it's rare to see a master dating too."
"Uh-huh," Tigress said, unimpressed and trying to be hard to get, "And do most girls fall for that?"
(start second song)
Cole suddenly heard a tempo start from the band and got an idea so he responded, "Yeah, every single girl falls for it." Cole grabbed her hand and said sweetly, "Let me show you…"
This caught Tigress unguarded and she said as she pulled back a little to stop him, "Wha-What are you doing?"
Cole pulled again and when she was on her feet, Cole said, "Come on, it'll be fun."
When Tigress saw the dancers and heard the tempo in the music, she said as she was dragged, "Oh no, no-no-no-no… no!"
She suddenly was held in arms reach of Cole. The paw that dragged hers was still entwined with his, being held up by his paw. His other arm was held around her waist, supporting her to be more closer to him. Her left out arm was around his side.
Suddenly following the beat, Cole moved sideways, making Tigress almost stumbled, but was able to regain her posture as she moved with Cole.
"When I was in college, it was part of their 'curriculum' to teach dance, which was one of the reasons I left." Cole said, so that Tigress felt more comfortable with his moves. But the fact she found out he dropped out made her more uncomfortable.
As they took two steps back and several steps forward, Tigress said with a little hate, "You're going to pay for this later."
Cole smiled and did his next trick. He released his hold on her waist, and with no support to hold her up in her awkward position, he pushed his arm forward. Tigress spun out of his arms, only holding on to the paw that she was dragged by. As she was stopped by the paw she held on, she stumbled a little forward, inexperienced at this. Cole pulled back and went back in Cole's arms, repeating the same stance as before.
Tigress took one step back/Cole took one step forward, and they then moved to their left.
"Promises, promises." Cole teased
As he went continued, Tigress looked at her feet to make sure not to fall. But she wouldn't let him get away with the teasing. Timing it right, she purposefully pushed her left foot against his right, almost unbalancing him.
Cole got upright again and looked to see Tigress's revengeful smile.
Seeing that she was having fun, Cole continued their dancing as they spun 90 degrees and went to their left again, and as they continued, Tigress was getting the hang of the dancing, even though she never danced before.
Deciding to try her own trick, she twirled by herself in front of Cole and then landed back in his arms.
Sensing a dramatic pause in the tempo coming up, Cole said, "Bring your right leg up over my thigh."
Catching on, she swayed her hips to the right and brought her leg up and letting it rest on Cole's left thigh, earning sudden surprising gasps from onlookers.
Cole gave a pleased look and moved his leg holding her leg up, letting Tigress's other leg stretched back with his leg pushed forward, exposing the slender leg from within the jeans. Cole bended his knee and allowed Tigress to let Cole carry her, his arm around her waist, his other paw holding hers up for support, and their faces nearly inches apart.
The position they were in looked like something straight out of a tango dance class.
Suddenly, commotion sprung through the air, many dancers, chatters, and drinkers turned their attention to the dancing couple.
As they began to be crowded, Tigress and Cole resumed dancing by moving to the left, than turning 90 degrees counter clockwise and moved to the right, their legs elegantly moving to the rhythm of the tango song.
Tigress moved her hips to the left, then to the right and moved her right leg forward, Cole pushed his right leg forward and held on to her let-out leg, but Tigress brought her leg up to unlock her leg and resumed dancing.
As certain drinkers began to get up and watch, a certain individual watched from a distance…
…and he didn't want to use his hawk-eye. He wanted to be surprised by his targets dancing.
Cole moved back as she moved forward, and then Tigress moved her body around Cole.
Tigress chuckled at how much fun she was getting from all the dancing.
With her right leg bended sideways to her left, she bended her left leg and swung it to her right behind her, Cole help turn Tigress's body to his left and the leg she swung turned and was kicked forward.
"Now you're getting it." Cole said in an amusing tone, glad to see she was having fun.
After taking a few steps, Cole let her go and spun her, but she purposefully pulled away as she spun, but mid spin, she saw someone…
…someone that she knew…
…but she was too focused on this dance and didn't want to ruin it, so she stopped her spin and looked over to Cole.
She brought her right arm up and allowed one of her digits to make a 'come here' teasing move.
Smiling, he walked up to her as one of those male tango dancers do, and Tigress moved to her left until they walked/circled around each other while looking eye-to-eye and Tigress brought up her arms, allowing Cole to bring her close again as their previous position.
As they continued to take more elegant steps and twirls across the dance floor for 10 or so seconds, Cole thought it was the perfect time to end the dance, since the song was nearly over.
Feeling the tempo almost end, Tigress thought the same thing.
Tigress brought her body facing his left and bended her knee forward but pushing the rest of the leg back on her right, and after 270 degree counterclockwise spin, she pulled her left leg behind her and stretched it out like last time, and swung it to Cole's leg, bending it once more to hold onto his leg while her right leg bended right underneath Cole.
Cole did the finishing stance as he tilted forward, his hold on her waist and paw never released and her leg holding her lower body, which allowed her to tip back and close her eyes as Cole hovered over her with his body.
Again, the position they were in looked like something straight out of a tango dance class.
(end song)
Everyone cheered and clapped at the performance.
As she opened her eyes, the place where she saw the person was gone, but was replaced with an empty cup and a few coins.
"So… tell me: Think a girl would fall for that?" Cole said with charm in his voice.
She hated his teasing, but the charm did make her swoon.
She got up and looked him in the eye as she said, "Just as long as it's the girl standing in front of you."
Once she got upright, her leg was still held onto Cole's thigh, which both began to notice. Feeling the closeness that both felines began to share, Tigress then had this tiny voice in her head that said one thing:
Kiss him now…
She wanted to do that, she so desperately wanted to do just that, but seeing as where they stand now, she didn't want to rush it.
It pained her, but it was the right thing to do. After all, it was their first date, and she didn't want to ruin it.
Cole helped her out of their position, they both decided to check out the restaurant was open for their table.
Little did they know, the hawk had already left. As well as someone else too…
But Lai, who remained hidden throughout the whole ordeal and almost began her sabotage, but was frozen by the dancing that both felines did, and that surprised her.
She never knew Cole could be romantic in dancing, let alone 'Tangoing.'
Unsurprisingly, Cole and Tigress's friends followed them, barely escaping the death clutches of Tigress's mother.
"How come you didn't say the Demon can dance?" Nix asked with much curiosity
"I figured Tigress would find out on her own." Zeke said, than he got out of his hiding place and shouted to everyone, "OKAY, YOU CAN ALL LEAVE NOW!"
The music stopped and everyone began to leave.
Every single pair of eyes began to stare at Zeke.
"How did you set this up?" Chun said with suspicion
"I ordered the clothes then prepared a ball. I followed Cole to a restaurant and tipped the black leopard for them to go there." Zeke said with mischief tainting his voice
They continued to stare at him with bewilderment. Nix only grinned by how ingenious his plan was.
Suddenly, they heard one of their friends calling them, and the voice was recognized as Wolfe's.
"Guys!" He said as he ran, out of breath once more
Suddenly, a paw punched Wolfe in the arm and said, "Don't run away from me! What made you think you could run away from me?"
Before Wolfe could say anything, Crane said, "So that's the girl that gave you a black eye?"
Wolfe immediately said while in pain, "Yep. How I got a date, I will never know."
"You grabbed pain by the balls and took it like a man, so I had respect for you." The female Wolfe from before said as she crossed her arms
"That's a weird way of empisizing that." Croc said
Wolfe forgot to say one thing and said, "Oh, by the way, this is Bao."
Bao looked to him and said with surprise, "I didn't know you can be a gentleman too."
Wolfe gave a blank poker face out of embarrassment, but then became serious and said, "Guy's, Bao and I have seen something that you aren't going to believe."
"I was with my buddy when we killed a being of mass destruction. What else am I not gonna be surprised about?" Zeke said and then they hurriedly follow the two wolves.
As they ran again, Bao asked, "Some of you guys look weird."
"Nix and Kuo are conduits. I'm normal." Zeke replied. Bao was more surprised and looked to Wolfe for an explanation.
Seeing everyone suddenly leave, Lia was about to move, but then something dark covered her vision.
And they felt like feathers.
Before she could flash a power, she suddenly felt something hard quickly hit the back of her head and everything went black…
…
As the two felines returned back to the restaurant, they talked about their recent experience, with Cole being surprised when he learned that Tigress never really knew how to dance in any way.
He promised that one day he would teach her, which melted her heart.
As they walked up to An, they saw her smiling.
Cole asked what she was smiling about and An said, "I see you had some fun."
"We did. Is our table available?" Tigress asked
The felines received confirmation when An called to a waiter inside and the waiter told them to bring them to the table on the reservation.
The waiter was surprised by the appearances of both felines, but the waiter kept it to himself and led them to their table.
As they walked arm-in-arm, they were getting glances by people in their own tables, but kept whatever they were thinking to themselves.
As the waiter led them to a table pretty sight-isolated, Tigress was completely surprised at the sight before them.
There was a circular table with a white tablecloth covering it with two seats across from one another. In the center was a very small batch of roses, the roses itself was cut from its branch. There was also a lantern above then to give of a lot of brightness to the room. There were also two single candles across from the batch of roses and stood between the two seats, which were also lit. (This reminds me of locus points in geometry.) Two menus were there, each in front of a chair.
"I spared no expense." Cole said while looking for her approval
Tigress looked to him and said surprisingly, "You really know how to surprise women."
Cole smiled and said, "Just wait. You haven't seen anything yet."
Tigress was cautious, for he was too unpredictable, and said with a smile, "Can't wait."
(Start third song)
Cole released his hold on her arm and walked to one of the chairs, and then he pulled it back.
This was a sign.
(Tigress voiceover of song)
Catching what she learned, she walked and sat down on the open chair, than she was pushed into the table with her chair. Cole then walked to his chair and sat down.
The moment he opened his menu, he cursed out loud.
Tigress said what was wrong; her concentration on what delicacies of her choosing was interrupted.
Cole said frustratingly that he has no idea what these letters even say, for Chinese letters wasn't his area of expertise.
Tigress giggled at how Cole reacted and said that she would help.
(Tigress and Cole voiceover of song)
After she told them what they meant on the menu, Cole and Tigress gave the waiter their order.
To pass the time, Cole began to small talk.
He asked about how different her clothing was, which was appealing to his taste.
Tigress explained that EVERYONE found out about the date and made it a big deal to help her.
Cole was surprised, but asked how she got her clothes though.
Tigress said Zeke gave her an 'edge,' describing what he did for her.
Cole laughed and said how he always had a way around romance, but only around others instead of himself.
As they were served their dishes moments later after they finished their small talk, Cole was taught by Tigress how to use chop-sticks. After a few tries, Cole found a position where he could hold them and said that he should of use these to eat Cheetos easily.
Tigress asked what this 'Cheetos' was, which Cole explained that it is a snack where he comes from. He also said that it was hardened bread with strong flavored powdered cheese.
Cole suddenly felt a leg rubbing against his own and looked up from his food to see Tigress with a pleased smile and her paws under her chin, like she was teasing Cole on how interested she is to him.
Cole smiled, catching that Zeke must have taught her that, for he didn't picture Tigress as the flattering type.
(Cole voiceover of song)
As Cole ate, he asked certain questions to get to know Tigress better, and he got answers that he was surprised to hear about. They both complimented on how good the food and dumplings were as they ate.
Cole was able to make Tigress laugh when he asked if something was in his teeth and he purposefully pushed sushi onto his teeth. He made a grossed face that made her laugh more.
As Cole ordered for a tab, he got up and pulled Tigress's chair, allowing her to get up.
Cole proceeded to leave arm-and-arm with Tigress, and as he paid and left, he opened the door for the both of them and gave their farewell's to An.
(Tigress voiceover of song)
As Cole walked down the street with Tigress, she realized that she needed to open a conversation for this to go smoothly.
He asked questions as to get to know more about Cole. It turned out what Zeke said was true; he did like picnics, brushing women's fur, and eating cheese.
(Tigress and Cole voiceover of song)
As they walked, Cole saw something that caught his eye and Tigress saw that it was a bar.
Cole dragged Tigress into it and as they got seated, they got looks, but Cole got the heat off of them by ordering a round for everyone and shots for each other.
Tigress felt uneasy about the small cups of moonshine before her, but Cole told her that it was a game, and that if he took a shot, she would have too as well. Since Cole was there, it assured her that if anything happened to her, Cole would help her through it. As he took a shot, she did too.
This went on for 10 minutes…
Cole and Tigress were surrounded by a lot of guys; Cole told old embarrassing tales that in involved his best friend, which they laughed to.
They all shared jokes too. Some were dirty (I won't share them for rated reasons), but Cole was glad to see that Tigress was laughing to them, seeing that she has a great sense of humor. When he asked her how she had one, she said that Po would do things horribly just for the sake of a joke, earning more laughs.
When one of them thought they were drunk, the male tried to 'touch' her…
…but was missing a few teeth after (no need to guess who did it)…
…which ended up as a bar fight…
…which they both beaten everyone up…
…and the pair left afterwards with a bottle of moonshine, but they were both still sober to continue.
Cole then went to another store and bought some supplies. Tigress was told to wait outside while he got what he needed.
(Tigress voiceover of song)
Cole came back out with a rather large basket that held some things.
Tigress wanted to ask what was in it, but Cole smiled and ran ahead.
Wondering where this was going, she chased after him on all fours.
She chased Cole all the way up a path and then going up a mountain path, which lead to a meadow with her village in view.
The meadow where Cole meet Kessler.
(Tigress and Cole voiceover of song)
When Tigress caught up to him, she was speechless in seeing a meadow under a tree. Cole didn't say anything as he settled a blanket down and sat down with the basket open.
Instead of asking, Tigress instead walked to him and then began to lie down on the blanket, with her legs folded out but was sideways and her left arm held her upper body up.
Cole laid down on his right side so that their faces were more closer and he grabbed the basket and opened it to reveal…
…crackers with cheese.
Tigress laughed with Cole as how he is making fun of what he really likes. Zeke was right as to how he liked cheese with romantic picnics.
That last part made her realize that she was at a picnic.
Cole asked if she would like to have a snack, which Tigress accepted, thinking how nice it would be to have one right now.
Cole took the liberty of making one for her and when he was done, he gave it to her.
She took a bite, and it tasted delicious. Sure, she have had cheese before, but this kind tasted fresh, like it was recently made. She saw Cole already down with one.
(Tigress voiceover of song)
They ate and talked, they made fun of how each had crumbs on their faces and how each chews with their mouth open while talking, they talked about things that they enjoyed and things that annoyed them from time to time, which some of the things they talked about made him have something in common.
(Tigress and Cole voiceover of song)
When they finished eating, they both laid back against the tree, looking over the sunset, realizing that a lot of the day went by, but it was a good day.
(End song)
After many minutes of blissful silence, feeling the breeze, and enjoying one another's company, Tigress then began to ask, "I've been meaning to ask you a long while back, but how did you learn to climb?"
Cole looked to her and said, "Back in New Maris, when the flood got through most of the streets, people began to try and climb to the next floor, but that caused the city to be a haven for urban exploration. After I started to get better at it, Zeke even manned up and gave it a try. Normally, if you started doing that, you would get 10 minutes before the cops show up."
She never heard of 'cops' before, and it sounded strange, so she asked another question, "How is it like to live in New Maris?"
Cole gave a blissful smile and laid back with his arms on his the back of his head, saying, "New Maris was lawless. In a good way. People would be going to parties, getting wasted, doing crazy things and what not. It was raunchy and except for the hangovers it was God-Damn Heaven. But ever since I came here, all I heard from Zeke was that everybody was celebrating being alive, doing parties again, and millions of lives were saved because of me. Believe me; I deserve a vacation after that stunt I pulled through, giving up my life and all."
Tigress looked to him with skepticism, learning something so dangerous seems something similar to that of heaven through his eyes.
Cole then looked to her and said, "Since this date is almost over and the sun is setting, I think I should end this with one more surprise."
She looked to him with wondering what he was doing as he got up and went into the basket…
…and pulled out a guitar.
Her eyes shot wide open in realizing something and said with much surprise, "You can play an instrument?"
Cole then said, "College didn't also teach me dancing, but because my school is a bit art based is why I dropped out."
Cole sat beside her and used his claws and ends of his digits to test the pull of the string and fixed a few to the correct tone.
"I know this is kind of cheesy to do, but I ran out of other ideas." Cole admitted as he continued to fix it.
"I really don't mind. No one has ever played an instrument for me." Tigress admitted with flattery affecting her voice.
Cole looked to her with surprise and said, "You really would like that? Most people I use to know would think that I would be overdoing it if I considered doing the guitar thing."
She scooted more closely to him and said, "Well, that's where you come from. Where I come from, it's very romantic for someone to sing to and for another." Tigress then asked, "So, are you just strumming a few strings or are you going to sing too?"
When he was done and tested it again, Cole replied, "You want me to sing? Just so you know, I don't have that good of a voice."
"That's not what I heard back at the ball." Tigress countered
Oh, she's good. Cole said, realizing that she not only can kick ass, let alone his own, she can be clever too.
Cole took a deep breath and said, "Fine. Lucky for you, I already have a song in mind."
"Good. I was worried that you would have made it up as you went." Tigress admitted
"I would of if I didn't remember any songs I learned. But I am offended that you said that." Cole acted out his sad voice as he spoke.
Tigress scooted a little bit away so that Cole can have some room.
Cole took a deep breath…
(Start forth song)
…and started strumming the strings in a rhythm.
When the tone went down, he began to sing, "It's 3 in the morning and I'm still not sleeping,
'Cause I'm finally running your race,
The mountains you've been climbing seem like they have steepened,
Since I decided to pick up the pace."
Tigress watched him in complete awe as he played, never knowing that he played such a peaceful melody before.
"If the whole world told me I should disappear,
Could I fall right next to you?" Cole sang as he let the strings go down for a second
Then, as he picked a different melody on the instrument, he said, "Just let me burn the night away,
Oh, baby let me burn the night away,
By thinking of the simple things you say to me,
That get me through the day,
As Cole focused on the song he was playing, he began to remember as he changed the melody…
"You keep me wide awake,
You keep me wide awake." Cole said sweetly in remembering…
…the first time he met Trish…
"So don't look back, the hourglass is runnin' empty,
You've got me buried with your every move,
Your fine lines have me at a loss of memory,
I'm right beside you in an empty room."
He began to remember…
…their times together in their younger years, as they became teenagers…
"If the whole world told me I should disappear,
Could I fall right next to you?
Just let me burn the night away,
Oh, baby let me burn the night away,
By thinking of the simple things you say to me,
That get me through the day," Cole sang as he remembered during their late teens how their friendship blossomed into something more…
"And it's so hard to catch your feelings,
When you, always run away,
You keep me wide awake," Cole immediately changed the rhythm of the instrument and sang, "You keep me wide awake, o-oooh."
He began to remember how things changed between them, how everyone thought they were perfect for one another, how his parents approved, and how she got a job in a hospital while he dropped out and became a bike courier.
"You're making it hard, for me to just start,
Over like were new,
Oh, the whole world told me I should disappear,
'Cause I'm falling in love with you." Cole said as he suddenly stopped playing for a millisecond, but then said in remembering his and Kessler's bittersweet moment's with the women he loved as he played again, "Just let me burn the night away,
Oh, baby let me burn the night away,
By thinking of the simple things you say to me,
That get me through the day,
And it's so hard to catch your feelings
When you, always run away," Cole then turned to a smoother and low melody, singing, "You keep me wide awake, you keep me wide awake."
(Song slowly fades and ends)
With the hum of the guitar eventually goes silent, they sat together in silence, taking in the song that Cole sang.
"That was beautiful Cole." Tigress said with complete surprise, showing how much she enjoyed it.
Cole settled the guitar nest to him and admitted, "I was worried that I was a little rusty."
Cole then began to think and he said to her, "Can I tell you something?"
Tigress smiled and scooted closer, nearly making their shoulders touch, and said, "You played and sung for me, making this date even more romantic. Of course, you can ask me anything."
Cole looked uneasy and said, "Ever since… Trish… I was kind of cagy around women. I didn't want to be interested in other women and I didn't want other women in my life. Due to my powers, I was just adding danger in their lives, so I stayed away. Ever since then, it's been a long while since I ever asked anyone out."
Tigress was taken aback by Cole's nature around other women, but understanding why he was like this was easy to understand, but she put a paw on his shoulder and said, "If it makes you feel any better, you were a gentleman to me. No one was ever this nice to me."
Cole looked to her and she said to him, "Ever since I heard about her from you, I began to slowly understand why she loved you. One time, when I saw Po get hit and drown under a bay, I felt the pain of losing a comrade, but I learned from you that not everyone can be saved and to accept losses."
She then moved her paw from her shoulder and rested it on Cole's paw, which he noticed, and she said, "Because my life was hard and difficult to overcome, I can understand only a few of the many experiences you went through." She then let her paw settle more comfortable on his and said, "I know what it was like to be a freak, to be alone, to be different from others and for others to fear you, but someone I knew once told me that everyone was in a cold and lightless room, but every once in a while, there will always be alight to shine upon them through the harshest of times, even to those who don't deserve it."
On the inside, Cole wasn't only shocked that she remembered what he once said, but how she somehow understands him, let alone find out that Po once almost died. When Cole had this sudden feeling again, he moved his paw and took it in hers, locking them together.
Suddenly, without thinking, Tigress said, "There was also something I been wanting to tell you."
Cole looked to her, telling her to continue her explanation.
She began to realize that there was no other way out of this then to confess, so she then took a small breath and-
"COLE! PICK UP YOUR PHONE MAN!" Zeke shouted
Both felines nearly had a heart attack.
Cole angrily thought that he forgot to shut off his phone.
Cole pressed a button on his phone that was connected to the strap of his backpack the held his Amp and said angrily, "THIS BETTER BE GOOD."
"I just found someone. You gonna want to see this for yourself." Zeke said
Before he could ask what it was, he heard someone shout somewhere in the village, like a preacher giving a speech.
And he voice had a southern accent to it.
Not only did Cole froze, but realized that this officially not only ruined his date, but ruined his day.
Cole got up and said, "We better hurry." When she got up in alarm, they both left their picnic spot and ran with Cole.
But because of whatever was going on…
…it ruined her moment's-chance to kiss Cole…
…and because of this, her whole date turned sour.
…
(To get a good feel on this part of the story, I had to go back to inFAMOUS 2).
As both felines ran on the roof tops and away from the mountains, they continued to south of the village to the swamp, thanks to Cole's 'sense,' and immediately began to notice crowds gathering, with the exception of men that looked like mercenaries with swords and hammers and spears were either guiding or forcing groups to gather to the swamp.
Cole had a hunch that something bad is going on and if he doesn't stop it, then there will be consequences.
As Cole and Tigress got closer, he began to hear the shouts and cheers from within the distance.
He really knew something was bad, and he was starting to worry.
But then he heard a giant cheer, and then it slowly died so that another voice took its place.
And it had a very thick southern accent.
"My friends," the voice said as they both got closer, "I stand before you to announce something that my associates have encountered. For 'they' have entered this peaceful village, waiting in the shadows to commit unjust sins upon your friends and loved ones."
Cole and Tigress jumped from the buildings edge and landed right next to some food carts.
He saw his friends, and as he came up with an idea, he tried looking for a mirror as the voice continued, "Although I must inform you that this isn't my first battle with the demons. There was a time, in my village, where a demon rid me of my power and killed my people and their protectors. I came to this village, tracking them, to make sure they don't harm you."
The cheers echoed the swamp, and when Cole found a mirror next to a shop, he used the lantern light to reflect it to Zeke.
He noticed a glare and Zeke noticed him, alerting his friends silently, hiding next to them.
"Zeke, what the hell is going on?" Cole questioned
Zeke began, "Brother, you are not gonna believe it, but it's-"
"My name," the voice shouted, as if he was preaching to God, "is Joseph Bertrand III, and I came to this city to protect the ones that each and every one of you care about, form the spawn of the devil Himself! These demons have come into this town and are hiding in the shadows, waiting to kill all of you! But fear not my friends, for my Militia," Bertrand said as he talked about his army, "the very men that would sacrifice their lives to protect you, the very men from this village that saw the reason for a just cause, will do everything within their power to protect you from not only the demons, but FROM THE FREAKS OUTSIDE THE SWAMPS!"
They cheered in hope that they will be protected by the 'demons.' Then Cole realized if he said demons and knew of him being here, then all his friends are in danger of how he was treated, and that it would get worse the longer they stay.
Cole told them to stay where they are as he climbed to the roof of another building.
As Bertrand continued to preach about the demons, Cole saw him from the distance…
…Bertrand was not the same person he used to be. He was a bald eagle, and looked a bit like one as well, but what gave him his menacing look was that his brown and white feathers stood out a bit instead of a folded fashion and his beak wasn't a normal beak like all the other birds, but his upper beak had beak teeth, matching the tip of his beak with sharp edges. His black coat was fashioned to fit his body, so that it didn't get in the way of his wings and tail feathers and didn't drag. His talons were covered with leather gloves so that it made his feet comfortable on top of a bird stand (like the ones in a bird cage, where the bird stands), he also had a white shirt with a red vest. Due to the grey aging on the tips of his feathers, he appears to be in his late 50's and early 60's.
(I love describing the enemy, it gives them a unique look in this universe.)
Cole knew more about his motives for power than anyone else, and only he could stop him.
"There is one demon among you, abnormal to all others, and his name… is Cole… MacGrath. He raided my city, killed the people and their protectors, and allowed chaos to spread, allowed the corruption to infect everyone. He unleashed an evil that killed MILLIONS in his wake! An incurable disease meant to destroy all life. But that disease has been eradicated long ago, but now, that demon will try to unleash it again, and kill everyone! He walks among us like men, but he is not unstoppable! I as you, THE PEOPLE, to ban together and stone him in the streets, trying to drive him away from us and curse his name, for we shall rid his soul from this world, and God shall judge him for his sins!"
Earning more cheers made Cole hate him more for who he is and what he does, but Cole isn't gonna watch this happen.
"Old warrior s that use to defend this village bleed, and died, in defense of their home. And when you called upon them to stand against the enemy, did they cower?"
Cole and his friends heard the people shout, "NO!"
He continued, "No! They all fought to the last man, while other abandoned their people for their own reasons."
Cole remembered how Kessler could of used his powers to stop the beast in his time and save everyone, but he choose to flee with his family, leaving others to die. He hated Kessler.
He hated himself.
"My Militia are all that stands, between you, AND THE FREAKS! And thanks to them, we caught two devils that hid in the shadows."
Before them all, Cole saw Kadaj and Lai brought to their knees in front of everyone, tied by the wrists, and shamed in front of everyone as the crowd cursed them.
Cole was starting to feel a rage, something he hadn't felt since Kessler, and, without his friends knowledge, he began to run on the rooftops around to the stage.
Tigress and the others, without knowing of Cole's actions, saw how he acted like a preacher, making the crowd cheer as he talked about demons and freaks, and how he has this strange manipulative effect on people, controlling their fear and using it.
It was abnormal and strange to see.
As one of the mercenaries pulled out an axe, as if to display an execution o the two conduits, Bertrand shouted, "AND AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, WE SHALL HUNT THEM DOWN! AND DESTROY THEM ALL!"
Like hell you are! Cole thought as he stood at the edge of the roof, seeing people beginning to pick up rocks. Sensing something bad will happen, Cole threw a special grenade.
The grenade flew as no one noticed, but as it landed near the group beginning the execution and Bertrand, but Bertrand was quick to dodge as the grenade released an electric pulse, constantly shocking everyone in a small radius.
Because of the power presented, everyone began to panic in fear and run in all directions. Cole's friends went to charge in and help, but then some of the familiar swamp monsters came out from the swamp.
So the team stayed hidden.
Cole landed next to the two conduits and freed them with his claws, cutting the rope and told them, "Go over there and get my friends someplace safe. I'll fill you in later."
"Cole-" Lai began to question, but Kadaj put a paw on her shoulder and jumped in a green hue to their friends.
When both conduits jumped to where their friends are hiding and as the group tried to argue to help Cole, they realized that they are not as powerful as Cole is against the swamp creatures.
Suddenly, Kadaj had an idea. It would be life-threatening, but it was better than seeing Cole or any one of them dying.
As they argued, they all had no choice but to leave.
On the stage, Cole confronted Bertrand, lightning at the ready, and saying, "For some reason, most people that I hate don't stay dead. Especially you."
Bertrand gave an insidious smile and said, "Cole, unlike you, I fell into god's embrace. I saw my true destiny and saw the sins that taint your soul. You shall fall before Him, as all demons do."
"You always were crazy." Cole said, but then said, "But, I think you and I need a chat."
Seeing this as an insult, he taunted back, "Is that your way of getting around, Cole? You may have stopped me from my mission, but I know yours is a lost cause, just like your friends and Trish."
For some reason, something in him… snapped… and he unleashed a turret of ice rockets at him, but he managed to dodge every one of them.
As he began his escape, Bertrand shouted, "Kill him!"
(Start last song)
As Cole began his pursuit of Bertrand, the same swamp monsters from before, only in the hundred's this time, began to 'gang-up' and beat Cole, thus forming a giant pileup of monsters.
I am the new-born, I'm the creator
I am velocity, I am the rapture
As massive pain flowed through his body, he only thought of how many lives Bertrand took, how many lives he broke down for his personal game.
I'm the destroyer, I am the cavalry
I am the poison, I am the powder
Cole's bright blue lightning that began to form around him turned slowly to a dense hue of orange.
The deep anger he had, the pent up anger of all his failures, all his losses, and all his faults have pushed him too far.
I am the fighter, I'm the protector
I am the 'AC,' I am the 'DC'
From within Cole's radius, he unleashed an arch lightning around him, sending stunning waves of pain to all of the monsters, all while beginning his karma shift.
I am Electric (x4)
When it was done, there was a sudden stop of flow of electricity for just a second, than there was an orange shockwave, sending all enemies flying in different directions and causing the ground to crack in a radius of 5 feet.
Watch me burn, till the future is no more
Watch me burn, I'm the killer and the cure
So hate me, I killed your God
So watch me burn
Cole then surrounded himself and his enemies with an ash smoke screen, sending enemies still alive from the attack into a stunning and unbeatable gas, and within less than 1/3 of a second, they all were killed by breathing it in, burning their lungs like burnt marshmallows in a fire.
I'm the destroyer, I am the power
I am the torment, I am the cancer
As those enemies fell, similar large enemies appeared, such as a couple of Ravagers and Hive Lords.
I am velocity, I am the horror
All four enemies gave a roar and charged.
I am the finger, I am the $%^& YOU!
Cole really hated these guys, so he allowed orange lightning to flow on his arms and decided to go on the offensive
I am Electric (x8)
He raised his right arm and shot a Napalm grenade at the one in front of him, killing it instantly, then turned counter clockwise to his left and raised his left arm and threw another grenade, killing it instantly, then looked to his right and threw another grenade then looking back to the one behind him and threw a grenade, sunning the Hive Lords.
Digging both of their forelegs into the ground, they tried to raise small Spikers, but both Hive minds and their floating eggs were destroyed to Cole's scythe bolts.
Watch me burn, till the future is no more
Watch me burn, I'm the killer and the cure
So hate me, I killed your God
So watch me burn
Sensing more enemies coming, Cole summoned waves of napalm down on the forest, causing a massive forest fire to bloom.
Watch me burn
The fires soon began to spread and the napalm began to intoxicate the water in the swamp.
Watch me burn
Cole turned towards the burning swamp and roared, "NO ONE CAN PROTECT YOU FROM ME!"
Watch me burn!
Around him, swarms of monsters came around Cole once more surrounding him and closing in.
Cole let the ionic energy flow to his hands, combining its essence with that of the napalm and fire, and he slowly felt a hunger, even stronger than his thirst for blood as a vampire, wrap around his body, and he crouched forward in pain, sending the energy to the brink of self-drain.
(Solo)
In immense pain, Cole arched his back, almost as far as someone possessed as a demon would go (poster from the Exorcist 2) and his entire body was engulfed in flames as everything in a 20 foot radius was trapped in its drain. The flames licked and burned at Cole's enemies as their neuroelectricity was absorbed into Cole.
Their skeletons were visible through his drain.
When he was done, they all were nothing but ash.
I am the new-born, I'm the creator
Due to the massive over-drain by Cole, orange lightning crawled and danced all over his body.
I am velocity, I am the rapture
Cole slowly raised his right paw to see the orange lightning crawl all over his arm and paw. The pure, raw, powerful energy was so overwhelming, it was tempting to destroy anything that stood in his way.
I'm the destroyer, I am the cavalry
And his wish was granted, for the earth under his feet shook with every stomp givin by the Devourer. His huge size and massive mouth could swallow anything, but it had no eyes.
Cole only smiled and said, "Here we go."
I am the poison, I am the KISS OF FIRE!
It gave a roar and shot giant green piles of spit at him.
Watch me burn, till the future is no more
Cole used a large circular portray shield to protect himself from the blasts.
Watch me burn, I'm the killer and the cure
Dodging brute stomps, tongue grabs, and more spit, Cole countered with many blasts, grenades, and rockets.
So hate me, I killed your God
When the creature was stunned halfway, Cole concentrated all his power on one attack.
So watch me burn
He raised his arms to the sky and sended down his ionic storm, which wasn't not only orange, but it was more destructive and powerful then it was ever before.
It screeched in immense pain, but Cole pressed on, roaring back. Then there was nothing but burnt flesh and burnt shells.
I am Electric (x4)
Cole then summoned an ionic vortex, its red hue grinding against the ground and scattering the remains of the monsters into the swamp.
(End song)
Cole snickered sinisterly, knowing that his enemies are still as week as they once were.
Before Cole followed Bertrand's echo to track him, he roared to the swamp, "NOTHING WILL PROTECT YOU FROM ME! NOT MEN! NOT WEAPONS! NOT ARMOR! NOT EVEN YOUR BEST MONSTERS CAN STOP ME!"
…
A/N: VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE. I will be off the grid for a while and I have to write my college essay, so I won't be writing anytime soon. But know that the next chapter will end the 'Laying Demons To Rest' series of chapters and we get to be where we have been waiting for almost 2 years. Like always, you'll never see what's coming next. Till next time! :)